PM Insights Foster City - 

Managing Conflict Dynamics: What is under the surface?

Conflict is associated with significant cost to organizations. In the study of employees from nine countries, the average number of hours spent per week on workplace conflict varied from 0.9 to 3.3 hours. In the United States, the average was 2.8 hours.  The calculated expense based on average hourly earnings in 2008 was $359 billion in lost time. Frequent causes of conflict include lack of clarity with expectations or guidelines, poor communication, lack of clear jurisdiction, personality differences, conflicts of interest, and changes within the organization. Add to it the civil discomfort due to lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in our organizations, community, and relationships. These underlying triggers can also be a catalyst for disharmony and conflict on an individual and organizational level eroding the psychological safety. While conflict cannot be avoided, team members need to manage the insecurity and unpredictability created in these situations when working together in teams while apart in their own microcosm. 

Managing conflict is difficult because there are feelings involved. Expressing emotions is risky, however. Thus, many people try to manage conflict in ways that ignore their emotional content. Unexpressed feelings can leak back into conversation and can preoccupy people so that they are unable to be good listeners. The solution is for the parties to identify and understand their feelings, negotiate them, and share them clearly. I personally had a breakthrough when I studied and implemented mindfulness-based practices as a way of life and introduced emotional intelligence toolkit to influence the way people overcome conflict, reach agreement, and create value. These practices have a profound impact on both professional and personal life, as well as our mental and physical well-being.

PM Insights Foster City - 

Feedback When You Aren’t Face-to-Face

Delivering feedback is always difficult. When you need to provide feedback to people who work remotely from you, establishing a constructive connection can seem impossible.  This session will equip you with tools to prepare and deliver feedback remotely so you can achieve the outcome you want to happen.